10 Break-Out Sessions

  • Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

[timetable id="9" column_title="0" filter_visible="1" filter_multiple="1" event_box_time="0"]

Sign up for our Newsletter

Sign up for our Newsletter

History

Learn about the key milestones of the St. Gallen Symposium through the years.

1970

1970 — International Management Dialogue

In 1969 rector Francesco Kneschaurek asked representatives of the foreign students to arrange something positive to improve the image of the students at the HSG, demonstrating that they were quite unlike those of the 68er. This was in order to augment the winning changes of a citizen referendum for an additional building on the campus. Wolfgang Schürer (D) suggested to arrange an international conference of European business models with top managers to demonstrate readiness for dialogue. Together with Clemens Brenninkmeijer (NL), Franz Kriegler (A), Urs Schneider (CH) and Terje I. Wølner-Hanssen (N) they founded the International Students’ Committee to organise the first symposium in 1970.

1970

1972

1972 — Limits to Growth

The widely recognised Club of Rome study, which analysed the effect of exponential growth on a finite planet, is presented by Dr Aurelio Peccei at the third Symposium in 1972.

1972

1979

1979 — Max Schmidheiny Freedom Prize

Presenting the internationally acclaimed Freedom Prize in 1979 for the first time at the Symposium in St. Gallen highlights the close ties between Max Schmidheiny and the ISC.

1979

1989

1989 — Wings of Excellence Award

In 1989 the Essay Competition for the St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award is founded by the ISC. Today it counts as one of the largest and most renowned student essay competitions worldwide.

1989

2000

2000 — ISC—Symposium

For its 30th anniversary the International Students’ Committee gets more prominent in the public appearence of the Symposium as it is now called “ISC—Symposium”

2000

2002

2002 — International Federalism Conference

In 2002 the ISC is comissioned by the Swiss Federal Council to organise the International Conference on Federalism. The conference is attended by 8 heads of state, 16 ministers and 3 federal councillors.

2002

2006

2006 — Kofi Annan

In 2003 Kofi Annan as Secretary-General of the United Nations received the Max Schmidheiny Foundation Freedom Prize. In 2006 he is able to receive this renowned award in person at the University of St.Gallen.

2006

2008

2008 — Tent City

From 2008 to 2010 the University of St.Gallen — annual venue of the symposium — is under construction. Therefore, the symposium moves to a tent city behind the university library.

2008

2010

2010 — European Council Conference

In 2010 the ISC organises an international conference on democracy and decentralisation under the patronage of the Swiss Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

2010

2012

2012 — Singapore Office

In 2012 the St. Gallen Symposium opens its first office outside of Switzerland. The office in Singapore acts as a home base for all ISC Team members responsible for Asian markets.

2012

2019

2019 — Rebranding

At the closing ceremony of the 49th St. Gallen Symposium the ISC Team presented the new brand appearence. The St. Gallen Symposium kicks off the next fifty years with a brand new corporate identity.

2019

2021

2021 — Hybrid Symposium

Due to the corona pandemic, the Symposium reinvented itself.

2021